the past moments it's calmed down considerably. it's burning but nowhere to the extent it was when this started right after 1:00. these are live pictures now in back of macro plastics, only about a half hour ago, this thing was totally engulfed back here with orange flames, just chewing through these plastic containers, you can see most that have is now gone, though it's still a quite-intense fire as you've seen. it's by no means over yet. and crews are pumping water as well as a special foam to prevent the fire from spreading more. we're told the actual building was not touched. and some grass did catch, that was kind of a minor nuisance compared to this. as mentioned, fairfield fire officials are telling residents within a mile to

stay indoors. and this is because of the situation with the smoke in the air, you can get whips of acrid smoke now and then. they're trying to figure out what damage in the ground may have occurred from these containers melting. these containers used to store items, macro plastic has been here 20 years, officials say there has never been a fire here. and the fire broke out back, residents going by noticed smoke and called officials when firefighters arrived and evacuated the whole place. there was a nearby travis air force base sent a number of firefighters to the area. and operation there are not affected. we saw cargo planes taking off and landing throughout the afternoon. and this smoke is starting to settle quite a bit more than

it was earlier in the afternoon. there was an umbrella of smoke. there is dark back smoke and that is what officials are urging people to stay indoors. and there is when we'll see if anything changes, at this point they are telling everyone to stay indoors and carolyn and larry? >> you mentioned that the fire did not start inside of the building. any idea what did spark it? >> no that is something they're trying to figure out. fairfield fire officials were here with video cameras taking video. some and response that they cannot turn over the video because that is considered

evidence. that is not to say anything suspicious happened here but this is a monster job of getting to the bottom of how this started. >> what is the plan that firefighters have at this point, john,? have they shared with you and feel they're making progress? it sounds like things goring better now than they were, let's say an hour ago? >> well, the plan has been, which is apparently standard procedure to, douse the area with water which is what they've been doing as well as a special foam. that is what they're going to have to do until it burns down. and there is some and i asked what the estimated time what it might be. they were not sure. and workers moved out a number

of the plastic bins were in the back area to prevent them from catching fire. but this is still very, very flammable materials stacked up in back of the area. we're talking probably i'd guess, you know hours throughout the evening. >> and we want to check in now. one of the neighborhoods nearby, how are things there? >> i'm at dover mobile home park. we're southwest of the fire. and there is a shelter in place. and we did find folks outside watching this giant plume of smoke. and i would say this weekend it's gone from a deep, dark black smoke to a lighter gray. i'd say it looks rather

ominous, perhaps good news is that at least from our vantage point, it looks like smoke is traveling up and to the southeast. but it's staying rather high. if that changes it could prevent more problems. i can tell you, i'm outside now, and i can't really smell, except for just slightly, smoke. so i guess if wind pattern holds this could be good news for us. and if it flows east it would be away from populated areas. we did talk with residents outside. and a group of young women jumped in a car and ran over to take pictures. and this has been a point of curiosity. and they're concerned about what might be in this giant plume of smoke.

>> what is your relative distance? how far away, approximately? >> i'd say just by guessing i'm about a half mile south and west. and i'm watching this smoke go up into the area when we're driving to this location. and we can see fire closer than the main road that leads to travis air force base. it's just north for those who are familiar with this area. this is north of air base park play almost to where you'd enter the air base. so the community i'm in is a mobile home community that is just, boy say a quarter mile off air base parkway to the south and west of where the fire is. >> we understand reverse 911 calls went out to residents within a one-mile radius, did you hear from neighbors?

have people been heeding the warn something. >> people i've encountered are outside. so, as far as i've been told they have not received calls but they may have not been inside of their homes. and so... i think maybe they perceived those calls as they came in. and this is when -- laura you don't see any signs of plastic remnants that at some point is going to come down? there is going to be particulates in the air. >> at this point i haven't seen that. i know from experience being around, say, a refinery power those particulates do come down and are around the cars. there is no sign that have yet. and this plume seems to be

going up and away. >> thank you very much we'll check back in with you throughout the hour. >> right now there is a neighbor about three miles from the fire. he joins us by telephone. and what can you tell us? >> this is a smoke in the air. this seems to be dissipating. >> so it does seem to be dissipating from where you are? are you smelling anything? >> not too much. not too bad out hire, you can smell a little bit of a fire. but not as strong as probably it is closer. >> so samir your neighbors, are people out? are they staying indoors? what are they doing in this neighborhood? people just going on their

normal lives. just driving and walking. and i don't see anyone acting out of the ordinary. they're just acting normally. >> this. >> and this is is just outside it seems to be dissipating. >> all right. thank you for phoning in and telling us what you're saying. and let's go back live to john alston. what is the latest there now? >> we're w.them is the fire marshal with new information about unconfirmed reports about a possible cause? >> correct. we do have reports there was

repair work being done. and and speaking with them on the scene is what we're hearing. and with this repair work, settling torchs or something of the like? >> and this would have to insolve openen flames it seems to go down, now seeming to flare up. >> and and we have gone to a six alarm and over 50 personal. and we're considering the fire

contained to the site. and there is a grassy field in the building. however that field had been evaded. >> so at this point there is no damage or no extension off the property. >> i noticed some of the dark smoke seemed to be settling more in neighborhoods, at least near peabody settling more than it did in the afternoon. is that affecting your recommendations for people who are living in the area? >> this is and there are wind conditions changed into the afternoon. and this for people with asthma, any type of breathing difficulty we're recommending they close windows doors and air conditioners and remain inside. >> and thank you very much for your help throughout the afternoon. keep us posted about updates.

>> you just heard we've gone to a six-alarm start agent 1:00. 40 employees were inside. we've heard it may have been started by workers doing some repairs inside. and thank you, and it's encouraging. we heard the fire marshal describe the flames did spread east of the building into a small grassy area, but they were able to contain that. so that iser rific. >> wind is a concern. as john is mentioning the fire seems to gain energy, then, wind can blow it around. and spencer, which way is the wind blowing? what speed? >> wind now is out of the west. this is about 10 miles per hour. and there is a drop off

earlier. and southwest at 10 miles per hour temperatures 8 adegrees, not much of a factor, humidity is 37%. we don't expect a dramatic increase. you can see it not bending indicating the winds nort very strong or gusty. so 10 miles per hour away from densely-populated areas like fairfield and blowing out of the west. but the fire were to spread, or the smoke, it would likely spread east and over next couple hours and nothing draw matic change is expected. >> and this is encouraging.

there is almost a ring of fire around macro plastics. now, taking a look at live pictures, it appears they've confined to it one wall of flames. >> yes. making progress there. now we want to share pictures you've been sending us from the fire so our site. and you can see there is a plume of smoke here in the area. >> and there is what is is around 1:00, then this umbrella-type affect. and there are is a shelter in place warning. we heard them tell us choosing to go outside and capture images, if you have any, we ask you upload your pictures and video for us.

>> and you can e mail the pictures. and we appreciate your help in covering this blaze, which now appears to be, i don't want to say totally under control because is still fire but it's confined to the site. >> we'll stay on this, stay with us, we'll be right back.

sky 7 hd, this fire on huntington drive that started around 1:00 today. no injuries out here and firefighters have really made quite a bit prof gres in the last half an hour on this. we're told it's contained to the site. >> and the firefighters have

not identified the cause of this but believe it might have been sparked by repair work being done at the back of one building. what has gone off in this dark smoke are crates, plastic crates that are commonly used in shipping agriculture, move prog dus around. they come in various shapes and sizes. one plastic went up, it went up to heights of roughly 9,000 feet of thick, black smoke. and this is pretty encouraging now. and this is a huge progress being made. firefighters have been using water on this fire as well as light foam. and there is a shelter in place in effect in this area and things significantly improved now. >> and good news with

reporters on the scene this is some residue in the area. they're not smelling a horrendous amount of plastic. >> most of it is going up. >> good news. >> there is a new electric car company in the race to go green. >> the first car has arrived in silicon valley. we're live now from menlo park. david? >> reporter: this is a first, this is a car you've never seen before. it has only the second one to be delivering after coming from the production lines in finland. came to a special customer. his name is ray lane, a well known silicon valley venture capitolist. he's a -- the chairman of automotive. he took delivery of the vehicle. and he's a partner at planner perkins. and this off the $96,000 with

twin 201 horse power engines so it can go as fast as 125 miles per hour. for those jittery, the karma can travel about 300 lanes. ray lane explained there is an internal come bulgs engine. >> you get your electricity from two sources, one from a battery charged by the grid and second, when you need it, it burns gas to generate more electricity. it's a single power train. >> you look at wood in the cars. it comes from rescued wood from california forest fires and reclaimed wood from the bottom of lake michigan wex use the beauty of the environment and the beauty of the wood that is already there. >> and that is the sound of the engine. and it sounds like a jet

engine. and they're planning to include lower-priced models but details have not been announced yet. there is other news, there is a new home unit that can operate off your collectors promising to reduce your energy costs by 77% fchl you're still having ampk writy about running out of battery power, rest assured walgreens is jumping into the pool and just announced their plan to install 800 charging units around the country. >> and beautiful car. >> good looking car. >> sure is. >> and there is another check on wind condition autos good news is that winds have diminished at 12 miles per hour. now they're at 10 miles per hour.

so this is a gradual increase between now and 6:00 or 6:30 p.m. winds could gut up to 12-14 but i don't expect the winds to be a significant factor. there is a live view looking into the direction of the fire, nork p looking north, you can see smoke having risen high into the sky there. and there is is a situation now. these are the current readings, temperatures mid-80s inland locations. 85 in antioch. 86 in livermore and 85 fairfield. 7 ows in the remaining areas except santa rosa, 84 degrees, 64 here in san francisco. these are the highlights. low clouds returning to the bay tonight. we'll see further warming tomorrow, temperatures peak and hold this weekend. overnight tonight looking for low clouds and fog again to much locally inland.

and there l are low to mid-50s. and there is a weak jet stream north. it's lifting and moving out and it does so, there is a mass of warm air. there is going to add to the warm up which is underway and will continue throughout the weekend. there are low clouds and fog and a pattern very much like today's with fog at the coast. and sunny skies inland. big change is that highs in the farthest inland locations may move up to 90 degrees tomorrow. and upper 70s to low to mid-60s on the coast. we'll see lots of 80s in the north bay. and there is mays mainly mid

70s, upper 80s to 90 in antioch. and there is upper 80s to low 90s inland. highs will be climbing to mid-90s by friday. and there is low 80s around the bay. and there is heat, warmth, i should say will be slow to taper off. we've got six or seven really warm days coming our way. >> going to be hot. >> it is. >> thank you. >> and experts say scooter sales are booming this year. why more people are turning to two wheels

a quick update on breaking news in fairfield. sky 7 is live at the scene where this fire at macro plastics has been contained to the site there. is a shelter in place in effect there. everybody in the nearby neighborhood should stay inside. don't go outside to try to take a look at plastics gone up. they've made remarkable progress in the past hour or so in what was once a ring of fire has largely been contained. we'll be going back to john alston live at the scene in joft -- just a moment. now if you think you're seeing more scooters on the roads you probably are.

scooter sales in the u.s. jumped 37% in just five months of the year. and high costs of gas appears to be the primary motivating factor. fuel prices jumped about 30 thrs this year, scooter owners save on lower costs including maintenance and insurance rates. drivers are buying other two-wheel vehicles. motorcycle sales rose 7% in the first quarter. >> as mentioned a massive fire is still burning but more or less under control at this point. coming up, an update on a night to fut put it out completely. >> last minute battle over the debt limb yismt the president is thet- -- threatening to veto the latest plan.

we want to take you back to solano county right now. sky 7 is live over the macro plastics plant. a huge fire started around 1:00 this afternoon. you can see there are hot spots remaining. >> yes. remarkable progress. we have been at the scene for the entire afternoon what. is the latest now? >> just minutes ago the fire field fire chief told me units are being released and told to go home. there are still quite a few

firefighters on the scene. but yes, units are being released and this is being knocked down. it's considered a six-alarm fire to. give you an idea of what the sky looks like here, if you look down huntington, a lot of the black smoke settled off in the distance beyond those emergency vehicles. that is heading towards peabody in a subdivision that is over there near peabody. authorities saying they want people to stay inside and to give their windows closed. and this fire began at 1:00. huntington noticed the fire. and employees called 911 this, happened in back of the facility. there are plastic bins made. we heard from the fire marshal a short time ago this may have been caused at least looking at the possibility this may have been caused by workers behind the building doing work with torchs. there are about 40, 45

employee who's work here, they carried out their evacuation plan. >> we're just thankful that all evacuated safely and we didn't have injuries. the cause of the blaze will be under investigation and i don't have further comments. >> what do you make in there? >> we make bins. you can see them. we use injection mold prog ses to make plastic bins for agricultural industry primarily. >> authorities say none of the buildings in this industrial area burn. the only thing that burned were these plastic containers out back as well as a patch of grass behind the facility. there is a railroad track nearby. that grassy area went near the track but did not impact rail activity. some passenger trains and freight trains are continuing to go by here in this area.

so there is still six alarm. authorities recommending residents stay inside and keep windows closed until this has passed but there is a lot of black smoke hanging in the air. they continue to put water and foam on the fire here. >> thank you, john, we can see that thick black smoke right behind you as well. and there is laura anthony now who has been with neighbors a half mile southwest. >> so i can tell you two things look to be improving. and we're about a half mile southwest of the plastics fire. you can see helicopters up there. this is what folks are doing

here. i'm told that tokes did seventy-two of the 911 calls. and i was just talking with the office manager here. and there is a second call came in. and they should stay inside to keep windows closed. >> this came out initially. i went outside, looking around for clouds. i didn't see anything and there is a huge plume of smoke and there. >> this is pretty crazy. and i see this big pile of smoke. i wanted to know where it was coming from. and there is like planes coming over the building and stuff.

and i was worried like it's going to spread. >> this is a live picture as you're looking toward the fire which is northeast of the location. the smoke has been going mostly up and east. and talking with the property manager, they're starting to see grass burned on both ends. and they're concerned about what might be in their pools. and we haven't seen anything that looked like soot or particulates coming down but there is grass, burned grass in the pools. diget off the phone with someone from bay area air quality district and i was told this is a toxic cocktail in their words a combination

of the thing that's can be change russ to folks health. and at this point, the smoke seems to be going up and away from the most-populated areas. >> and does it smell badly to where snur. >> it doesn't. it's almost more erie than anything else. and this is a mechanical smell for lack of a better term. and not the thick black smoke. >> we just saw a little girl running behind you. she's playing and kids are out. this did look rather surreal there. we want to share with you picture that's you folks have been sending from the fire in fairfield.

and there is a fireball. and this is one sent in by joanne jarvis. it appears she was far from the plume of smoke at one point reached what we've estimated 9,000 feet. another shot from a neighborhood, the sky was darkening. this is early on. we invite you to upload pictures and video at you report at abc 7 news.com. >> and still no progress in efforts to raise nation's debt limit to avert what could be a global crisis. house tea party republicans are threatening to end the stalemate. ordinary americans are feeling pressure n napa, democrats supporting the president gathered outside representative thompson's

office. the opposition republicans were right across the street. abc 17 here now with an indepth look of the developments today. >> here is a mandate. come up with a plan or face the consequences. which, economists tell us could include economic collapse. >> one day after the president called for compromise, the two sides seemed further apart. >> time is running out. we're pushing this to the last minute. that should not be the case. >> there is a house plan with dwindling chances it will overcome tea party opposition in that chamber. senate majority leader called it dead on arriveal. the president vowed to veto this. >> the tea party is in the driver's seat for house republicans now. and that is a scary thought. >> then, there is counting savings from the troop draw down. >> it's a $2.7 trillion increase in the debt ceiling. with highly suspect spending

reduction feature autos many americans responded to the president's prime time call on monday to make choices -- voices heard. they temporarily crashed web sites of boehner, mcconnell and others, clogging capitol phones, and it's not just ordinary americans. >> a default would be a very, very serious event. not for the united states alone, but for the global economy at large. >> reporter: in other words a global catastrophe. senate majority leader harry reid's office said they got 600 calls in two hours and six staffers describe the situation as inundated. >> thank you. mark. no doubt. >> there is more news just ahead. crews moving in to search fofr two gunman who opened fire at a park officer. >> and more on the weather

conditions around that fire in fairfield. now, it appears to be under control. >> that is good news, weather conditions don't appear to be a factor now. wind was a primary concern. these are the current conditions in the area of the fire. temperatures 85 degrees, winds out of the west and only 10 miles per hour. winds are not strong and gusty. humidity is 37%. and good news weather appears not to be a factor in fighting this fire. we'll take a look at conditions near the fire as well as across the bay area in just a moment. abc 7 news at 4:00 continues. ??!

sky 7 hd is live and firefighters have made significant progress bat yet yelling what was once a six-alarm blaze in fairfield at macro plastics. no buildings were burnt just a lot of plastic crates there. there is a shelter in place order in effect at this hour no, injuries and it appears though this fire is not quite out but getting there. >> authorities from eight police agencies are heading for two gunmanmen who opened fire on a police officer last night. officers resumed their search today in a remote terrain outside of moraga. sky 7 captured this video for us. a parks officer on foot patrol last night. two men opened fire with rifles. he was not hit and did return

fire. that fire became so intense, the officer had to be pulled to safety with help from the district armored rescue vehicle. police do not know why the men opened fire but believe they may have been protecting an illegal marijuana growing operation there. >> still to come, your next ipad could be solar powered. >> yes. like that idea? check out technology that may warm up your clothing coming up in our bloomberg business report.

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just a few hot spots left at the storage yard in fairfield. for what was once a massive fire broke out at 1:00 this afternoon. and the fire marshal calls it hooks and ladders bring a lot of water and foam, got it under control. only crates you can see here burned. things looking good now in fairfield. >> it did an amazing job. >> will they think of next? a solar powered ipad. >> a check at the market. >> anxiety evident on wall street. lawmakers still haven't come to terms on a plan to raise the federal debt limit. and the dow, s and p and nasdaq falling for a second day in a row. how does a solar-powered ipad sound? that is not too far off.

engineers created ultrathin paper that can gather enough juice to power an lcd clock that. is the first step towards a source of energy within two years may be used to charge an ipad or warm up clothing. and a study by met life shows grandparents are younger and more financially comfortable than ever before, good news for grandkids, adding today's grandparents are more generous to their grandchildren than ever before. that is your later look in business. >> and still to come, california senators put their weight behind a new push to allow women in saudi arabia to drive. >> can you use an atm card if you travel abroad? answers to your questions

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one more update now, sky 7 continues to hover live in fairfield. firefighters have been released from the scene. a huge fire at macro plastics knox injuries reported no buildings burned just a ton of crates and a lot of smoke in the air. we'll have another update for you at the top of the hour on abc 7 news at 5:00. >> now, it's tuesday, and that means it's time for your consumer questions for michael finney. >> today, you're covering the alphabet from atm to dmv. >> and on kgo. >> yes. >> and okay. so... it's the first question comes from lauren c. asking how long does a point remain on a dmv record? >> interesting question. for a normal minor accident that you caused or traffic violation like a speeding ticket you can get one point, those points last three years on the license. if you get a dui or reckless driving, two points that lasts

five years. none matters much because how they figure for your insurance, but how they figure whether or not you're allowed to drive is how many tickets received over 12, 24 or 36 months amount of time. so if four points over a year, they can take your license away f you have six points over two years, they can take your license away. and eight points over 36 months so it's an apple and oranges thing and odd how it works. there is john o. are atm-only cards usable in europe? do you have to have a visa or mastercard logo on them? what we call an atm card is a debit card. we say oh, using my atm card but if it says visa or mastercard it's an atm, a debit card. atm only cards are only usable at an atm and have a sirrus

logo on it. you can use them in europe on atms that have cirrus but they're not in every country. you're limiting yourself. so this is okay to bring them, but you probably want a credit card, too. >> let's check on the forecast now. it's getting warmer. >> and goitsing to continue warming up over several days and into next week. there is a time lapse vu. things looking good towards golden gate. skies mainly clear. a little bit of a marine layer. it's going to push locally across the bay during evening hours. now we're looking at national maps. and there is is high temperatures across most of the southern two thirds to

three quarters. and there is 94 in atlanta. 104 in dallas. you can see the heat is spreading westward now. it's moving in our direction. as a matter of fact our fate wide map shows things warming up tomorrow. and there is 92, sacramento, 96, fresno z 104 down in palm springs. a cool 62 up in eureka. and 74 in big you are sur. closer to home, looking at weather tomorrow, sunny skies inland and there is fog cling together coast. high temperatures inland will be moving into low 90s tomorrow. and there is 83 napa and there is 78 in eekland.

moving so the south bay, 816789 near monterey bay, highs of 69 in watsonville. and 72, santa cruz and there is is the accu-weather forecast coming up on abc 7 news at 5:00. >> 14 u.s. senators are urging the king of saudi arabia to end his country's ban on women driving. >> earlier this year, a 32-year-old woman posted this video of herself defying the ban on you tube. saudi arabia is the only country in the world that prohibits women from driving. >> one reason is that it would require women to uncover faces in public, for bidden under islamic law. senators say driving is a human right. >> and thanks for joining us for abc 7 news at 4:00.

>> fighting macive fire in a plastics plant, so large, every fire engine responded and nearby crews were called in to help. firefighters had a real battle going on all afternoon. >> sky 7 is live over the scene right now. and you can see they have it well under control. most flames are gone, and crews are in what they call mop up mode but there are lots of questions tonight and there are concerns about what is in that smoke, good evening. i'm cheryl jennings. >> it's a plastics plant meaning what is burning is toxic debris. >> that is why people are being told to stay inside that. order is for a mile-wide radius. and john alston joins us from the scene. >> there is some firefighters pulling up stakes. you can see 100 firefighters here at one point and we've

learned three firefighters suffered minor injuries, did not have to go to the hospital. minor like injured knee but that was the extent on it. and this started at 1:00 behind macro plastics, workers were out there and macro plastics makes plastic containers made by injection molding. and those bins are used by agriculture during harvest times. there is a huge pile of those that started to go up in flames. and officials looking at the possibility workers might have, might have been responsible for what happened. >> this is one of the things someone told someone else on the scene. and it's